POKÈMON: The Power Inside (Reborn)
by PokemonLegacy
Summary: Fic reborn! New plot, characters, etc. Ash, 15, is finally on the verge of realizing his dreams of stepping onto the battlefield against the world's best. But as a powerful evil force threatens the universe, Ash discovers the shocking, life-changing truth himself & his past. Will Ash & friends be able to use this newfound info in order to save everything they hold dear? Pls review!
1. Prologue: Deep Within the Endless Forest

_So, after four years, I've decided to resurrect and reboot my anime-based fanfic: The Power Inside. Like I said in the chat thread, I was feeling nostalgic and was just sort of regretting never finishing the story back then. Also, with my maturation as a writer, I went back and read it, and was unhappy with many things. So, this will be a reboot of the story, and hopefully, I can see it through until the end._

Those who have been around for a while probably know that I've tried to do this before and failed. You're probably saying to yourself, "Oh, no, not this again!" But third time's the charm though, right? Those of you who've read the story before, there will be MAJOR plot changes and character changes. Much of this story will be brand new, while a few parts will be similar. Those who have not read it before, yay!

Disclaimer: This fic contains some graphic violence and sexual references, so be aware of that. 

* * *

**PROLOGUE: ****  
Deep Within the Endless Forest**

* * *

Torrential rain poured from the black sky like bullets descending upon the endless forest. Blustery winds threatened to break the necks of the exposed tree tops and howled fiercely like starving Houndour. Above the canopy of trees, white-hot crackles of electricity zinged about the turbulent heavens.

Down below, the forest's floor was shielded from much of the storm's wrath by the thickness of the forest. Only a few light sprinkles were allowed to trickle down to the ground. The ominous rumble could be heard and frequent flashes of lightning did manage to illuminate the forest's underbelly, but overall, all was quiet on the ground.

At this time of night especially, this section of the forest's floor looked almost impossible to navigate. There were no beaten paths, and the entangled web of low-hanging branches, bushes and other vegetation dominated the area.

Only a few varieties of bugs and rodents scurried about the forest, barely visible in the darkness. The area normally teemed with life during a sunny day. After all, it was many miles away from any city or highway, which meant that no humans ever came around the area to disturb it. The Pokèmon and plants were free to prosper and live without interruption… except for the chilly, wet weather on this night.

But a closer look revealed a strange and dark building standing within the shroud of vegetation.

The huge, mostly windowless warehouse looked extremely out of place in this virtually unreachable part of the forest. The brick building was camouflaged by the huge army of lower tree branches and tangles of foliage, aided of course by the blackness of night.

To the typical passerby, the area probably would have looked like nothing more than a secluded section of nature. And in such a deep part of this jungle, the only people who ever encountered the warehouse were those who already knew of its secret location.

A faint flicker of light twinkled from inside through a small, dingy window, but it was quickly masked by a sudden flash of lightning. While the winds and rain continued to toil above the forest, inside this mysterious warehouse, a storm was apparently beginning to brew as well.

The main area inside the building looked just as one would expect judging from the exterior. The inside of the warehouse was huge vast and open like an airplane hangar. Its walls stretched probably four or five stories high. There was no light source inside this room, as the many rows of bulbs lining the ceiling had apparently all been shattered. The only light, which came in through the several small glass windows near the ceiling, was supplied by the lightning strikes outside.

The floor stretched for probably the size of a football field. It was a barren grey color and had massive cracks in the concrete looking like a series of spidery veins, obviously showing evidence of repeated impact of some kind. There were also a few dozen huge craters in the ground, almost like a meteor had smashed into the warehouse's floor.

As the lightning continued outside, huge scratches, dents, and burn marks could be seen scattered throughout most of the cement walls. What sort of thing or creature could have wreaked so much havoc?

Besides the muffled sounds of the storm, the hangar was eerily quiet and empty.

There were no people here, and the only objects in the entire gym area were several piles of scrap metal and some jagged chunks of debris, varying in size and shape, that had been cracked loose by whatever had ransacked the place.

Suddenly a sharp noise interrupted the silence.

"Aaaaaaaahh!"

Someone screaming? Or…was it just the winds wailing from outside?

"Pleeease! Nooo!"

No. There it was again.

Although the sound was dampened by distance -obviously in another room nearby- it was definitely a scream, a very high-pitched and terrified female scream.

From inside the hangar, it sounded like it had come from behind the rusty metal wall on the west side of the building. It was a chilling shriek, the kind only inspired by intense fear or pain.

Behind that wall was a much smaller dimly-lit room. Only a few isolated flickering light bulbs remained; the rest had been destroyed like their bretheren back in the hangar. Broken glass and metal shards littered the smooth-tiled floor where a slender young woman in a white lab coat was sprawled out on the floor and trembling in fear.

Shattered laboratory equipment, glass beakers and test tubes decorated the counter tops. There were dozens of demolished computer monitors and other high tech equipment strewn about as well. And just like the larger room on the other side of the wall, this room had apparently been shredded by something powerful.

The whimpering young scientist continued to cower from her position on the floor, and let out a few pathetic yelps for mercy. Her long brown hair was disheveled, and her bright green eyes were full of tears.

The lifeless carcass of a Pokèmon lay limp on the ground next to her. The once vibrant pink-colored creature was now red-stained with the blood that was still flowing out of its dead body and onto the floor around it.

A tall and rangy man wearing a fancy black business suit towered over the girl and her fallen friend menacingly, a crooked smirk just barely visible on his cold, angular face.

"P-p-please, s-sir," the scientist stuttered hysterically as she gazed up at the man in terror.

Her eyeglasses were cracked and crookedly balanced on her nose, which was slowly dripping blood onto her white coat like a leaky faucet. Her left eye was swollen, and that area of her face was beginning to darken in color. Tears continued to spill down her sweaty face, which was scattered with various cuts and bruises. Her uncontrollable sobs had taken over her ability to speak.

The man chuckled. His dark brown beady eyes could have burned holes through concrete with the intensity of their stare. The way he cackled made the young woman shiver with even more fear. She had just witnessed the brutal murder of her own Pokèmon, and the chilling realization of how alone she was now was too much to bear.

"It was foolish of you to try to fight me, Professor. You know how powerful my creature is. You knew that pathetic marshmallow stood no chance," the man sneered. He was clutching a glowing baseball-sized orb in his hand.

"P-Please, just let me go!" the frantic scientist wailed like a toddler. "I've done everything you've asked me to do!"

The man in the suit remained unsympathetic.

"Yes, I suppose you have," his raspy, baritone voice murmured. He paused. "Although…there is one more thing…"

The man gave a creepy smile as he stepped closer to the young woman on the floor, avoiding the bloody puddle. He lifted her to her feet and pulled her close into a sort of embrace. The girl continued to tremble as the man wrapped her in his arms.

"Professor… you are a very beautiful woman," the man whispered into her ear as he stroked her hair and gently caressed her back. "Very beautiful…"

The man ran his hands down her sides and kissed her neck, a grunting sound resonating from his throat. He pushed her backwards until he had her pinned up against one of the lab's counter tops. He grinned as he tried to rip away her lab coat. At first, the woman was much too frightened for her life to resist, but as she began to sob even harder, she started to turn her head away and struggle against the man's attempts to remove her clothes.

Initially the man enjoyed the struggle. He laughed at how easy it was to restrain this petite woman despite her kicking and screaming. This continued on for a few moments, but after a while, he grew tired of fighting. He began to get angry.

The man stopped trying to kiss the woman and instead he angrily punched her in the jaw with his massive fist. She yelped and fell to the floor once again, where she continued to cry.

"Have it your way, bitch. I don't have time for games," the man growled mercilessly. "Perhaps you'd like to meet the same fate as your friend there."

The knife he removed from his suit jacket pocket glinted in the dim light. He playfully twirled it in between his fingers and gently traced her cheekbones with the blade. The woman's voice left her as the tip of the knife tickled her skin.

"N-no. P-please!" she gasped, as her bottom lip quivered uncontrollably, shaking her head in frantic disbelief. "Please, s-sss-Sir! Don't k-kill me! I-I'm sorry! I s-swear I won't tell anyone about anything!"

The scientist's arms and hands shivered like a seizure she clasped her hands together in a pleading motion.

"I appreciate the loyalty, Professor," the lanky man in the suit said without much sincerity. His eyes, as well as the point of the dagger, remained focused on the girl's horrified face.

"And you have done marvelous work, but now you have fulfilled your purpose… and you have learned too much about my little operation. I cannot risk you ruining my plans… Better to be safe than sorry, I'm afraid."

With that, the metal blade plunged deep within the woman's stomach... once... twice... three times. Soft squelches and spatters of blood resulted from each stab. The woman tried to scream, but the knife suddenly found her throat as well before she collapsed to the ground.

Unshaken by the two inhumane acts of murder he had just committed, the man re-holstered his blade. He stared down calmly at the fallen scientist who was now lying right next to her dead Pokèmon. Both bodies lay lifeless in an increasingly large red pool of blood.

He spoke to the woman he had killed as if nothing had happened.

"Good work, Professor. It's because of your hard work that we will finally be able to achieve our goals. I'm sorry it had to end like this… It won't be long now. The world will soon see what we are capable of."

With that, the man in the suit turned to leave the lab, but he remembered to retrieve the professor's research notes on his way out. After grabbing the thick notebook sitting on one of the desks, he exited the sliding lab door, and instructed the armed guard outside the door to "clean the mess up" as he strolled by.

His shoes' hard heels clicked and clacked with every step he made along the concrete floors as he made his way from the main laboratory, through the long hallway and down to his office, which was located in the basement, underground.

The man walked confidently as he descended down the short metal staircase and reached the glass and steel-trimmed doors to his spacious office. The normally-stoic man was almost giddy at the thought of what was going to transpire in just a few short days. Something he had been looking forward to for years now.

At long last, the time had finally come.


	2. Chapter One: Must See TV

**Chapter One: **

**Must See TV**

* * *

_"…__Tonight, on World News Nightly…"_

The nightly news' introductory theme music chimed. The sound came from a small television set sitting alone on a wooden dresser.

Aside from the soft glow of the T.V., the room was dark, quiet. The talking box produced the voice of a male news anchor, who began reciting the night's top stories.

_"... Police are baffled tonight as they continue the puzzling investigation at the Blackburn Island Prison, where last week, a death-row inmate mysteriously vanished... Authorities have no evidence or leads on how the convict was able to escape the maximum security prison on the secluded island… Coming up later in the newscast, you'll see our interview with the Blackburn Prison security officials as they continue the search for the fugitive who remains at large…_

_"__And later, meteorologist Eric Mathis will give us his five-day forecast and will talk to some area astronomers as a spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon will light up the night sky all this week… We'll tell you when and where YOU can see this breath-taking cosmic event take place …"_

The news was simply background noise.

Who cares about some fugitive half-a-world away? Do people really get this worked up over some stupid cosmic light show?

Sluggish and achy, the sixteen year old occupant of the bedroom turned over on her bed, her back now turned away from the T.V. She needed to get some sleep, but as usual, the tangle of thoughts and emotions inside her head would not allow it.

It was a depressing cycle she had fallen into. Sleep all day, lie awake and feel sorry for yourself all night. The voices from the T.V. were the only sort of company she kept lately.

_"… __But first, our top story this evening…"_ the news anchor said.

There was an extra octive of excitement in the man's voice that managed to catch the girl's notice. She normally ignored television completely. She only ever had the thing on at all so that she didn't feel so alone all the time. But for whatever reason, she lifted her head to watch.

_"… __The entire world will be watching tomorrow, as the highly anticipated Pokémon World Champions Tournament finally gets underway! Sixty-four of the greatest trainers in the world have descended upon beautiful Sapphire City to do battle for the title of Greatest Pokémon Master in the world…"_

The news broadcaster had now succeeded in winning the girl's undivided attention. Was it really tournament time again? Had it really been four years already?

The T.V. camera cut to a magnificent aerial shot of the battle stadium in Sapphire City. The girl marveled at the extravagance of the stadium, set in the middle of a huge metropolis. She had never been to faraway Sapphire City, but the birds-eye view of the city was breathtaking. It was certainly a fine place to host a grand event like the Champions Tournament.

The stadium, like Sapphire City itself, was a specticle to behold. A huge bowl filled with a hundred thousand empty seats surrounding a single battle field. It looked gigantic, and it would probably look ever huger from field-level tomorrow when the seats would be filled with a hundred thousand screaming spectators.

She continued to watch as the screen switched to a live shot of a large group of excited fans camped out in front of the stadium, waiting in line for tickets. Some were cheering and showing off hand-drawn signs. Others wore t-shirts and jackets with their favorite trainer's likeness and waved to the camera. This long line of waiting fans stretched for over a mile.

Unbelievable, she thought. She could not believe just how popular the sport had become. Even five years ago, it wasn't this big. Today, the popular trainers were like rock stars, on television, on billboards, everywhere. And their loyal fanbases had grown to huge numbers.

Talk radio and television sports networks analyzed battles and trainers endlessly. Famous trainers often crossed over to the world of entertainment and movies. They signed big endorsement deals and appeared in all kinds of commercials. The most popular trainers had become superstars, plain and simple. The fans loved them, and in a few short years, the popularity of big competitions had skyrocketed because of their celebrity.

And this week's much-anticipated Pokémon World Champions Tournament was the granddaddy of them all.

Only held once every four years, the epic tournament always made for a fan-frenzy because all of the most famous trainers from across the entire globe would be there competing in the same tourney for the right to be called the best in the world. Almost every match-up would feature a celebrity versus another celebrity. Must-see television indeed.

_"… __Four years ago, the Great Lance of Blackthorn City and his powerful dragons battled their way to supremacy and took home the prestigious title as the greatest trainer alive. This year, Lance returns to defend his crown, but repeating as champion of the world will be no easy task…"_

The girl was sitting up in her bed by now, riveted to the screen. She rested her head on her knees which she hugged to her chest. She remembered watching Lance win the tournament four years ago. With such beauty did he win. His huge dragons were like graceful dancers on the battlefield as they dominated the competition.

The anchorman continued on, reciting the background info about the tournament for the television audience.

_"… __Assembling from all corners of the world, this competition features the greatest collection of elite trainers anywhere on the planet. Each trainer has qualified by earning the required fifty officially recognized gym badges from around the world..._

_… __All qualifying trainers then competed in regional qualifying tournaments in order to determine which sixty-four trainers would compete here… in the World Champions Tournament! _

_This year's final field of sixty-four is a mixture of respected gym leaders, former E4 members, and other popular professional trainers, but also features a group of relatively unknown trainers looking to make names for themselves… That's the beauty of this worldwide tournament. It's not about titles, it doesn't matter how many endorsement contracts you have or how many fans you have. Anyone and everyone has a chance…"_

The screen then switched to show a visual diagram of the tournament tree which illustrated the anchorman's words as he began to explain the format of the tournament. The girl already knew how the tournament worked but kept watching anyway.

_"__In the first round… the 64-trainer field will be divided into sixteen groups consisting of four trainers each… _

_During the first round of competition, each trainer will battle every other trainer in his or her group once in 3-on-3 battles, with the top two trainers from each group advancing to the second round. _

_The second round will be single elimination for the remaining thirty-two trainers… lose and go home. 6-on-6 battles. The last trainer standing will be crowned and recognized as the ultimate Pokémon Master!"_

"Wow," the girl said to herself, thinking about how many people would be tuning into this event. This was definitely going to be a huge deal. The whole world was excited about it, and the winning trainer would certainly become a historic legend like Lance.

She was surprised at how many people really followed battles on television to this extent, but her surprise at the magnitude of such a tournament did not mean that this young lady didn't know about Pokémon. On the contrary. She was familiar with Pokémon and battling… very familiar.

In fact, this reminded her, she had to prepare for a few battles herself later this week, right here, at her gym. They obviously wouldn't be as high-profile as the matches due to take place tomorrow in Sapphire City, but it was her job. The girl jotted a mental note, reminding her to finish up the maintenance work on the battle field tomorrow.

"Ugh," she growled out loud at the very thought.

The flustered teenager didn't know why she even bothered thinking about work. She just wanted to crawl in a hole in the ground and die. Not literally, but she felt depressed. She felt trapped. Trapped by the monotony and lonliness that had become her life.

The girl didn't feel like watching T.V. anymore. She just wanted to lie in her bed, stare at the ceiling and feel sorry for herself. She got up to turn the television off, but she paused when she heard the newsman continue.

_"… __After the commercial break, our World News battle experts will talk about some of the marquee trainers headlining this huge event, including Cynthia, the gorgeous former champion of the Sinnoh League… Wallace, the flashy and flamboyant entertainer from Sootopolis… and obviously, Lance the Dragon Master, the defending world champion, not to mention many more of the top names in the sport… _

_And later… we'll tell you about a trainer who at just fifteen years old, is just days away from becoming the youngest person in history to EVER compete in this legendary tournament! So, stay tuned, we'll be back after these messages from your local sponsors."_

The girl's ears perked up when she heard this… not the mention of Cynthia, Wallace or Lance. They and many other famous trainers were dearly beloved by millions of fans, but it was remark about the fifteen year old trainer that caught her attention. Something told the girl that she should follow anchor's advice and stay tuned to hear about this young trainer.

"The youngest in history, huh?" The girl couldn't help but sound impressed.

To think, a kid almost the same age as she was battling against all these iconic trainers from around the globe. Who was this kid? He must be good if he's thinking about going up against these living legends of Pokémon training, she figured.

The girl stretched and yawned before coaxing her body out of bed and began to get dressed during the commercial break. At least she'd do something productive before the show came back on; Although… how could getting dressed at night time after spending all day hiding in bed be considered productive?

She had just turned "sweet sixteen" only a few days ago, but there was no fancy party, pretty dress or big celebration. Her entire family was away, as were her childhood friends. The big day had come and gone, with the birthday girl spending the entire time alone in her room.

With the bedroom still mostly dark, the girl shed her pajamas for real clothes for the first time that day, despite the day being nearly over. She brushed her messy hair away from her face after she pulled a sleeveless shirt on over her head.

She stood in front of the mirror by her bed, trying to straighten out her bed head in the glow of the television. Over the past couple of years, the girl had become so used to toiling in darkness all the time, that she had gotten quite good at performing her daily tasks like dressing and brushing her hair in the mirror with little to no light.

As she finished, a framed photograph sitting on the adjacent dresser amongst others caught her eye when the light from the T.V. reflected off of it just right. She could barely make out the photo in the dark room, but she had obviously seen it enough to know what it looked like.

It was a picture of her when she was maybe ten or eleven years old. Lately, the first thing that came to mind every time she looked at that photo was the fact that she was smiling. Smiling… wow. She hadn't truly done that in quite some time, at least not the way she was smiling in that photo.

In it, the spunky ten-year-old version of herself was grinning from ear to ear from a true sense of happiness. She was posing in her standard childhood manner with one hand on her hip. Her stunning bluish-green eyes seemed to sparkle more brilliantly back then. There was a beautiful sunny sky as well as a crystal blue ocean in the background of the photo.

And standing along side her in the photo was a young boy. Probably the most unique and special boy she had ever encountered in her life.

He appeared to be about the same age as her. He had messy black hair, with innocent yet passionate chocolate-brown eyes, wearing a blue denim jacket and a red and white baseball cap. He had his arm around her shoulder, and he was grinning the same goofy grin that he always wore whenever he was posing for a picture.

A slight feeling of warmth almost touched the girl until she caught herself gazing at the photo. But, any happiness she felt reminiscing about the past was instantly deflated when she remembered her that it was exactly that-the past. It was painfully different from the cold, lonely life she now led years later, here at the gym.

Just then, the T.V. news returned from commercial. The anchor was now joined behind his desk by a guest. It was an older, official-looking man in a grey suit.

_"__Welcome back to World News Nightly's coverage of the World Champions Tournament…_

_… __Joining me tonight to give us his thoughts on this week's competition is my guest, the former president of the Pokémon League Competition Committee… the honorable Mr. Charles Goodshow!"_

The girl recognized this little old man as well. She had met him at one of the regional Pokémon League competitions a few years back. He looked a few years older now, but the short, elderly man still had his long white hair with matching beard.

_"__... Mr. Goodshow, from what you've seen from the field of elite trainers during your years as president of the Pokémon League, who are some of the trainers you recommend that the people watching at home should be keeping an eye on?"_

_"__Well, obviously there are former champions, powerful gym leaders, and even Elite Four Masters battling in this competition, and their impressive reputations are enough to make people want to watch…"_

The two men bantered back and forth about many of the elite celebrity trainers, debating about whether each of them could win the entire tournament.

Lieutenant Surge, the brash and powerful former gym leader. The gorgeous Elite Four members Lorelei, Caitlin and Phoebe, each a big hit with many male fans for obvious reasons. Not to mention former league winners like Cynthia, Wallace, Diantha and of course, Lance…all of whom would be in the same town at the same time later this week, competing in the same championship for the same title!

_"__There are so many unbelievably powerful trainers and Pokémon due to compete in this tournament, I couldn't possibly pick a favorite!_" Goodshow raved. He was obviously just as excited as anyone else.

The girl finished recklessly brushing her hair and sat down on the cold floor right in front of the television.

Most fans knew who these famous trainers were, but she had been lucky enough to actually meet some of them during her many childhood adventures years ago. The more familiar names that were mentioned as participants, the more interested the girl became in this competition.

After a few minutes of analysis, the reporter asked Mr. Goodshow another question.

_"__Alright, Mr. Goodshow, we've talked at length about the stars of this competition. But what about some of the lesser-known trainers in the field? Is there anyone in particular that could surprise people this week with a strong showing?"_

Goodshow continued on about several of the more pedestrian trainers. He broke down their battling styles, their Pokémon, and their past accomplishments for the viewing audience. The man was like a walking, talking encyclopedia with his knowledge of every trainer.

Still lying on her hardwood bedroom floor with her head resting on her hands, the girl was beginning to get tired even though she had been in bed all day. She yawned. She wished the show would hurry and get to the part she wanted to see about the fifteen year old trainer. She needed to actually try to get some sleep before work in the morning.

She began to frown at the thought of doing nothing but gym battles against snotty young trainers all day tomorrow, not the mention the mounds of paper work she had to get done regarding the gym's finances this week. Work sucked.

The girl sighed. She remembered when her life used to be worth living. She had once lived a life filled with adventure, surprise and excitement, surrounded by friends. Something new and unusual around every corner… each day leading to a new journey.

But not anymore. Not since she had been forced to leave her friends all those years ago. She hated to think about that day but-

She stopped in the middle of her thought when the tournament coverage with the anchor and Goodshow continued.

This was the part she had been waiting for.

_"… __And finally, for fans looking for an underdog to cheer for this week, whom should they watch for, Mr. Goodshow?"_ The anchor turned to the tiny old man as he asked the question.

The girl's turquoise eyes shot wide in shock at what she saw next. She gasped deeply, doing a double-take towards the screen, making sure she was seeing and hearing clearly.

_"__Well… the biggest underdog is definitely the young kid,"_ Goodshow said, answering the reporter's question with his expert opinion.

_"__Ah, you must mean the youngest trainer to ever compete in this legendary tournament…_

_… __Ash Ketchum from the town of Pallet…"_

She could only stare at the young trainer's picture on the T.V. screen as it appeared at the exact moment that Goodshow mentioned him, his youthful, exuberant face staring back at her from the T.V.

The girl just sat there, dumbfounded with her mouth wide open. Her tired eyes had been shocked awake and just stared at the television as they flashed various video highlight clips of the young boy battling with his Pokèmon.

Her heart began to thump hard and fast, and her breathing began to get heavier and heavier. Her cheeks felt strangely hot. She couldn't move a muscle. Was she really seeing this!? Were these big, important newsmen really talking about… Ash? Her Ash? Was this real life?

The anchor then recited some biographical information about Ketchum, much like he had done with some of the other trainers who were not as well known.

_"… __At fifteen years of age, Ash Ketchum from Kanto's Pallet Town will make history later this week, when he will become the youngest trainer to ever step onto the battlefield as a participant in the Pokémon World Champions Tournament…"_

The girl still could not believe it.

All she could do was stare in amazement at the T.V. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, but she restrained herself. There he was… Ash and his trademark intensity during battle. His familiar black hair peaking out from underneath his hat as he and his Pokémon were shown in action. The video highlights of Ash that the news program was using made him look incredibly heroic.

She rubbed her eyes vigorously with her hands. This had to be a dream!

_"… __Ketchum has accomplished many feats during his young career, including the Orange League and Kanto Battle Frontier championships several years ago. He's also posted strong performances in the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Kalos Leagues in the past, as well as some great battles with some of the world's best…"_

Much like many of the trainers featured on the program earlier, the teenage girl knew this trainer as well. But this was so much different than simply having met stars like Lance, Surge, or Mr. Goodshow a few times or seeing them from afar in public.

This boy -Ash- was the same boy who stood next to her in that photo on her dresser. The boy with whom she had once shared countless adventures as she followed him on his quest to be the greatest trainer in the world when they were both younger.

She and Ash together. At that point in their lives the two of them were best friends and had been inseparable.

_"… __Recently, Ketchum has been traveling the freezing cold arctic terrain of the rugged Tundrus Region located in the northern-most part of the planet. But he returned home a few months ago to his native Kanto after he earned his fiftieth career gym badge during his journey around the Tundrus League circuit. _

_With the required fifty badges finally in his possession, Ketchum stormed through last month's regional qualifying tournament and earned one of the coveted sixty-four spots to this week's extravaganza!"_

The girl almost burst with pride when she heard of all of Ash's recent accomplishments. It had been so long since she had talked with him. But that proud feeling ceased when the newsman started to voice his opinion about the young trainer.

_"… __However, there are many people who believe that Ketchum is simply too young and inexperienced… and his Pokémon are too weak for the teenager to belong here with all these legendary trainers."_

Oh man. The girl thought to herself as she watched. Good thing Ash wasn't here to hear them calling his Pokémon 'weak.' He'd be furious.

_"__I think Ketchum is a talented kid with a bright future,"_ the reporter continued. _"But, come on. You don't really think this kid can beat any of the top trainers in the world do you? I mean, he's only fifteen, he has never competed in a tournament of this magnitude, and his best Pokèmon is a scrawny little Pikachu!" _

The girl scowled at hearing this idiot criticize Ash's ability and his Pokèmon. What did he know about Ash? They didn't know him like she knew him… or used to know him, anyway. She and Ash had been through so much together when they were kids, their friendship had bloomed over the years-perhaps into something more than friendship.

That is, until she had been forced to leave him and the rest of her friends to return home. Again, any excitement or happiness she felt upon seeing the boy's face on T.V. vanished and turned to black sadness when she remembered having to leave his side all those years.

_"__I have seen him battle before, and the kid does have heart,"_ Goodshow admitted. _"But I agree. I think Ketchum and his Pokémon are still too inexperienced to have any sort of real chance this week. He got a little lucky in the Kanto Regional Qualifying Tournament I think…"_

"Oh, shut up, morons!" the girl shouted out loud at the old man's answer.

Why did everyone underestimate Ash? They thought Ash was just lucky to get here? He had just as a chance as anyone else! But she tried not to dwell on the so-called experts' opinion. She still believed in him even if no one else did, even after all this time.

The girl lifted herself off of the cold floor and crawled back into her bed. She wrapped herself in the covers, and she felt somehow warmer, lighter as she reminisced about her past life, before she was confined to this place. It had been over five years since she had returned home from traveling with Ash and his Pokèmon on his adventures.

"How did it get to be so long ago?" she always wondered.

_"… __Ketchum's heart and determination are the only things really going for him. I just don't think he can handle this kind of competition," _said the reporter._ "I just hope the kid doesn't embarrass himself out there."_

As Ash's segment finished on the television, the girl finally allowed herself to try to get her head around what she had just watched. Still in awe over seeing his face again, she allowed a small smirk to creep onto her face at the T.V. commentators' lack of faith in Ash's abilities.

If the boy was anything like he was when they were both ten years old, he would find a way to prove these naysayers wrong.

_"…__That will wrap up this pre-Pokémon World Champions League segment of World News Nightly,"_ the anchor said. _"…Thanks to Mr. Charles Goodshow for joining us tonight!"_

_"__Thanks for having me, Jim." _

_"__When World News Nightly returns from commercial… we'll talk about the mysterious events that occurred at the Blackburn Island Prison earlier this week…"_

The girl tuned out the television again now that their tournament segment was over. She remained in her bed now thinking about Ash. Oh, how she missed him.

She thought about how ever since she had left him to be imprisoned by the responsibilities of the family gym and haunted by the loneliness of not having him with her, she had not smiled very much. She rarely ate, she slept at weird hours, she couldn't stand interacting with other people, and she confined herself to her bedroom for hours and hours at a time.

The last time she remembered smiling was when she had spoken to Ash on the videophone a few years back. She and him used to talk quite frequently over the phone for the first year or so after the two split. And she had even got to see him from time to time on visits. He would beam while telling her of his latest adventure or bragging about the newest Pokémon he had captured. She would complain to him about how boring the life of a gym leader was. They would talk about old times, old friends. They'd laugh.

But for one reason or another, she and Ash had started to drift apart as the weeks, months, and years started to pass by. She had definitely developed a feeling beyond friendship for Ash during their travels together, which was made even more obvious to her when they were apart.

But she couldn't tell him for fear that their beautiful friendship could be tarnished if she ever revealed her true feelings to Ash and he did not share them. She also didn't want to interfere with his obviously bright future as an elite Pokémon trainer.

Plus, she was only a child then. How could she be sure at that age exactly what she was feeling for sure? Although now, seeing his face on T.V. was enough to remind her of those feelings from the past… and they were definitely real.

She never opened up to Ash about her feelings about him back then, which made her sadder and sadder with each day she spent alone in the gym away from him. As her mood continued to deteriorate over time, the phone calls and weekend visits between the two youngsters became less and less frequent.

She just figured Ash had forgotten about her… or worse, he had stopped caring.

But at least he had cared about her at one point. The girl thought back to that day when she and Ash split up following their journey through the Johto Region all those years ago.

She remembered how Ash had looked at her when he realized he would not be traveling with her anymore. He had told her that the two of them were meant to meet and become friends. She remembered seeing what looked like a tear fall from Ash's glistening brown eyes just before they went their separate ways.

Then the girl started to think about tonight, and how incredible it was to see him on television after all this time. He had really done it. He had made it!

That overzealous little boy-whom she had accidentally fished out of the river and followed around everywhere after he'd destroyed her bicycle-was so close to actually accomplishing what he had originally set out to do all those years ago.

She remembered Ash always saying, "I'm going to be a Pokémon Master someday," and always she dismissed it as bravado or childish, unrealistic crazy-talk that kids often say. But, wow. He had actually made it to the big time, and at only fifteen.

"He must be so excited right now," the teen said out loud to nobody, as she felt the feeling of pride and happiness for Ash that began to wash over her.

She remembered how he would nearly pass out from excitement before even local gym battle. How must he be feeling before the most prestigious tournament in the world? Wow.

"I need to be there," she said almost out of nowhere, staring into space. It was shocking to hear the words as they escaped from her lips.

She repeated it in her head a few times, trying to decide whether this crazy idea she had stewing in her mind was actually real or just a delusional fantasy.

"Come on, that's stupid," she second-guessed. But as she thought about it more and more, the lunacy of the idea seemed to weaken.

He had always been there for her up until they had split up years ago. She and Ash had been through so much together during their childhood that she felt like she had to be there for him now. She wanted him to know that she still cared about him. She remembered back to what she had promised herself back when she was ten years old.

_"__Ash will never really be alone because he has… me."_

Even if he didn't need it, and even though years had passed since she had last seen him, she felt like she owed it to him to be there to support him in person. She had to keep her promise. It was now or never. This was the biggest moment of his training life, she had to be there with him.

But she was terrified to leave her safe, dark bedroom. Her brain pleaded with her to reconsider and return to her warm soft bed. Did she really want to confront Ash all of a sudden after not speaking to him in years? Did she really want to put herself on the line like that? What if he didn't want her to be there?

Her mind began to argue vehemently with her heart. Was she really thinking about doing this?

Finally, she made up her mind. She had to go no matter what. She would leave for Sapphire City right away. The gravity of the situation cancelled out any awkwardness about going to see Ash out of the blue like this. No matter how crummy she felt, no matter how weird it would be. Seeing Ash on T.V. had motivated her to rise above her sadness, at least for now.

The newly determined girl climbed out of bed once again and pulled her hair into a messy ponytail. This was the strongest and most motivated she had felt in months. She glanced over at the digital alarm clock on her night stand.

She could catch an overnight flight, the girl thought. She knew she wouldn't make it for Ash's first battle, which was tomorrow morning, but she figured she would be better off being late than not going at all. She wished she would have remembered the tournament before tonight because she could have made it there earlier, but there was nothing she could do.

She squinted in the dark towards her large, walk-in closet across the room. Her suitcase was still packed from last weekend's gym leader conference in Saffron City. She had never felt motivated enough to unpack it when she had returned.

She contemplated for what felt like another hour over what she would do next. She could always close the gym for a few days… say she was going on vacation. There wouldn't be many trainers coming in this week anyway, as everyone would surely be glued to their television sets to watch the world championship.

But what will I do or say if and when I see him? Should I hug him? Will he even talk to me? Does he even want me there? He will remember me, won't he?

All of those thoughts and more began racing through the girl's head as she prepared to take this giant risk.

"Of course he'll remember you," the girl argued with herself. "You've been through too much for him not to."

Finally, with conviction, the teen stood up and turned her bedroom lights on.

She shielded her eyes, knowing that they wouldn't like the sudden blinding flash. The flood of white light washed away the darkness and revealed the true beauty of her luxurious bedroom.

The walls were painted a deep sea green… the same color as her now-hopeful eyes, with white and blue trim. The girl's queen-sized waterbed looked like an elegant crystal oyster shell with a glittery gold frame and white sheets and covers.

The new light also revealed that her outfit matched her bedroom's watery theme. She wore a white tank top with short, blue denim shorts. Her once fiery red-orange hair had softened with age and now was a beautiful, soft copper color which flowed down just past her shoulders.

The girl gathered her backpack, and took inventory of her money and supplies. Before she zipped her pack back up, she ran out of the room and to the gym's equipment room. She entered the room, and grabbed the six red and white metal spheres out of the machine, and returned to her room.

For at least a moment, the immense burden of her perpetual sadness seemed lifted by her loyalty to her friend. No matter how scared she felt, she knew she had to do this.

"Come on now, Misty…" she whispered to herself confidently as she took up her pack, turned off her light, and exited the room.

"He needs you."

The girl thought about the statement she'd just said to herself as she made her way down her dimly-lit hallway. She corrected herself sheepishly as she made her way out the front door and into the dark, cold night.

"Or… maybe you need him."


End file.
